METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ACCESS CONTROL WITH MODULATED LIGHTS

Abstract

A method for access control in an access control system for people or vehicles comprising at least one access control device. In the method the at least one access control device, using a selective modulation of the frequency, spatial modulation and/or optional temporal modulation of light emitted by a specified number of light sources, transmits information that can be received and demodulated by a mobile electronic device having a camera. The information sent by the access control device contains a unique ID of the access control device, which is used to control the access control device in accordance with data transmitted to the access control system by a mobile electronic device which receives the information transmitted.

Claims

1-10. (canceled).

11. A method for access control in an access control system for persons or vehicles, having at least one access control device, the method comprising: using the at least one access control device for at least one of a selective modulation of the frequency and a spatial modulation and a temporal modulation of light emitted by a specified number of light sources (5), to transmit information; receiving and demodulating the information with a mobile electronic device (4) comprising a camera; including in the information sent by the access control device, a unique ID of the access control device, which is used to control the access control device in accordance with data transmitted to the access control system by the mobile electronic device (4) which receives the transmitted information.

12. The method for access control according to claim 11, further comprising at least one of designing, arranging and screening the light sources (5) in such a way that the light emissions are receivable in a defined area around the access control device, in which, in a case of an access control mechanism for persons only one person, and in a case of an access control mechanism for vehicles only one vehicle, can be located, after the reception of the ID by the mobile electronic device (4), sending the information containing the ID of the access control device and identification data of the user carrying the mobile electronic device (4), via a communication channel, to the access control system, the information comprising at least one unique ID of the user or of the mobile electronic device, unlocking a locking element of the access control device which sent the information received by the mobile electronic device (4), either if on entering the area covered by the access control system, the user is identified as a registered user on the basis of either the user's ID or the mobile electronic device (4), or if based on the user's identification data the user is uniquely identified, or if on leaving the area covered by the access control system, necessary access fees have been paid, which in the case of the registered user is effected by debiting the user's bank account or credit card, and in the case of the registered user, payment of the fee is made automatically and in a case of a non-registered user, when making the payment the ID of the user or of the mobile electronic device (4) is read out or is transmitted to the access control system via an app.

13. The method for access control according to claim 11, further comprising the camera of the mobile electronic device (4) creates a single image, a sequence of single images with a defined time interval or a video which contains the information that was sent, which is demodulated and analysed using suitable software.

14. The method for access control according to claim 11, further comprising the information sent by the access control device contains other information in addition to the unique ID of the access control device, the other information being either location-related information or event-related information.

15. The method for access control according to claim 14, further comprising, if based on the transmitted ID of the mobile electronic device (4), the user is identified as a member of Technical Support, then immediately after the identification, status information about the access control device can be transmitted, so that before any inspection of the access control device, initial information related to its status is available.

16. The method for access control according to claim 11, further comprising the frequency of the light emissions of the light sources (5) lies exclusively in a frequency spectrum which is not visible to a human eye.

17. The method for access control according to claim 11, further comprising the information to be transmitted selectively changes in different consecutive time slots of an observation period, the displayable information per time slot depends on the information transmitted in preceding time slots associated with the same observation period, an ON-OFF ratio of the light sources (5) is identical over the entire observation period at an end of the observation period for all light sources (5), which ensures a homogeneous brightness or intensity of the displayed area, the exact number of states is identical for ail of the light sources (5), all spectral ranges used for all of the light sources (5) are used precisely once in the observation period, such that averaged over the observation period, as long as the change occurs sufficiently rapidly for the human eye, a uniform color mixture is obtained.

18. An access control system for persons or vehicles, the access control system comprising: at least one access control device, a side of the at least one access control device facing incoming persons or vehicles comprises a plurality of light sources (5), light emissions of the light sources are modulated with regard to at least one of frequency, spatially and temporally, the modulation can be used to send information that is receivable and demodulatable by a mobile electronic device (4) comprising a camera, the light sources (5) are at least one of designed, arranged and screened in such a way that the light emissions are receivable in a defined area around the access control device, in which in a case of an access control mechanism for persons only one person, and in a case of an access control mechanism for vehicles only one vehicle, can be located, and the information sent by the access control device contains a unique ID of the access control device, which is used to control the access control device in accordance with data transmitted to the access control system by the mobile electronic device (4) which receives the transmitted information.

19. The access control system for persons or vehicles according to claim 18, wherein in the case of an access control system for vehicles, the at least one access control device of which comprises a barrier arm (2), a side of the barrier arm (2) facing incoming vehicles comprises a plurality of LEDs, the light emissions of which can be modulated with regard to at least one of frequency, spatially and temporally.

20. The access control system for persons or vehicles according to claim 18, wherein in a case of an access control system for persons, the at least one access control device can have a display, a background lighting of the display can be modulated with regard to its frequency, spatially and temporally, or in a case of an access control system for persons a side of the at least one access control device facing towards the approaching persons comprises a plurality of LEDs, the light emissions of which can be modulated with regard to frequency, spatially and temporally.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] An example of the invention will hereafter be explained in further detail based on the attached drawings. These show:

[0039] FIG. 1: a schematic view of an access control device of an access control system for vehicles, to illustrate the method according to the invention; and

[0040] FIG. 2: a schematic view of an access control device of an access control system for vehicles designed in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention, to illustrate the method according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0041] FIG. 1 shows an access control device for vehicles, comprising a parking bollard 1 and a barrier arm 2. In accordance with the invention, in the example shown the side of the barrier arm 2 facing incoming vehicles comprises a plurality of LEDs 5, the light emissions of which can be modulated with regard to their frequency, and/or spatially and also optionally, temporally, which enables the access control device to send information that can be received and demodulated by a mobile electronic device comprising a camera 4; the information sent by the access device contains a unique lb of the access control device, which is used to control the access control device in accordance with data transmitted by the mobile electronic device 4 to the access control system. In the FIG. the enabled LEDs are shown dark.

[0042] In this arrangement the camera of a mobile electronic device 4 creates a single image, a sequence of single images within a defined time interval or a video that contains the information that was sent, which is demodulated and analysed in the mobile electronic device 4 using the appropriate software.

[0043] In this case, the LEDs 5 are designed and/or arranged and/or screened in such a way that the light emissions can be received in a defined area around the access control device, in which under normal operating conditions only one vehicle can be located. If a mobile electronic device 4 located in a vehicle can receive the light emissions, the vehicle is located in the access lane 3 directly in front of the boundary between the area covered by the access control system arid the area that is not covered by the access control system.

[0044] After the demodulation of the information and reception of the ID by the mobile electronic device 4, information containing the ID of the access control device and identification data of the user who is carrying the mobile electronic device 4 is sent, via a communication channel, to the access control system, comprising at least a unique ID of the user or of the mobile electronic device, wherein the barrier arm 2 of the access control device which sent the information received by the mobile electronic device 4 is activated in the opening direction, if on entering the area covered by the access control system the user is identified as a registered user on the basis of the user's ID or of the mobile electronic device, or if on the basis of the user's identification data he or she can be uniquely identified, or if on leaving the area covered by the access control system the necessary fees have been paid, which in the case of a registered user is effected by debiting his bank account or a credit card, and wherein in the case of a registered user the payment of the fee is made automatically and in the case of a non-registered user, when making the payment the ID of the user or of the mobile electronic device is read out or is transmitted to the access control system via the app. In FIG. 1, the numeral 6 designates a server of the access control system, to which the information sent by the mobile electronic device 4 over the communication channel is transmitted. The at least one access control device of the access control system is connected to the server 6 for data transfer and can be controlled thereby. In accordance with an extension of the invention, the information as to whether a single image, a sequence of single images within a defined time interval or a video should be created can be transmitted to the app over the communication channel between the mobile device and the electronic access control system.

[0045] As an alternative to providing the LEDs 5 on the barrier arm, the LEDs 5 can be provided on the side of a parting bollard 1 facing the incoming vehicles, as illustrated by FIG. 2, in which the barrier arm is not shown. In FIG. 2, in the same way as the example of FIG. 1, the enabled LEDs are shown dark.